


The Morgan 3000 Charity

by vodka_and_some_sass



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26562190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vodka_and_some_sass/pseuds/vodka_and_some_sass
Summary: Cora is placed in a life threatening situation at the launch of her charity project and Loki needs to snap her out of it. Meanwhile, Bucky and Callista figure things out between them.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	The Morgan 3000 Charity

The screen projected a list of scientific jargon that Cora merely glanced at before turning her attention to her best friend. Callista was frowning at the holograms, furiously swiping bits of it out of the way, zooming into other bits and _was that a holographic dustbin she was throwing holographic ideas into?_

Sitting for a few more minutes, it was when Cali tossed her can of Pepsi into the holographic bin and hit Stark’s newest robot square in the control box instead, that Cora spoke up. “So umm.. Tony told me to tell you that you’re in charge of making sure that I’m ready in time for the inaugural gala of the Morgan 3000 Charity.”

“Yep. He told me as well, just after he cancelled my day off and called me in for a meeting, which, when you think about it, I should be heading for right now. Drop me?” The black haired scientist threw her hair up in a messy bun while commanding the hologram to transfer the files to her portable hologram. _The only perk of being a sciencebro was the fancy tech that they had access to which the other team members had no clue how to use._

As Cali locked the lab, Cora wondered what could be important enough for Stark to pull Cali away from her weekly ritual of going to the park and spending the day doing nothing but leisure reading and drinking unhealthy amounts of tea. She ventured a guess. “They found out something new about Barnes?”

Callista pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded. Sliding into the passenger seat of Cora’s Lincoln green Escalade, she explained how Stark wanted her to work with Bucky’s psychological evaluation team to see if the serum had affected his thought process. Cora nodded, understanding only bits and pieces of it but humouring her friend anyway. Cora waited for Cali to finish before she laid out her plans for the rest of the day.

Callista noticed the bags under the dark but warm brown eyes of her friend. Those warm eyes seemed a little dull and the short crop of chocolate hair was a mess, like someone had run their hands through it in an almost frustrated manner. She felt guilty for not noticing it sooner.

“Cora?”

“Mhm?”

“How long has it been now?”

Cora shrugged, her eyes trained on the road. Cali knew that Cora would tell her eventually, maybe over vodka and a rom-com. What she didn’t expect was the nearly emotionless reply that followed the half-hearted shrug.

“He’s been gone for six months, I haven’t heard from him in four. That’s two more months than Thor has had. No one can find him. The Guardians have been told to keep a look-out, Carol too. He either doesn’t want to be found by us, or he’s dead. And if it’s not the latter, I’ll kill him if I ever see him again.”

Callista flinched at the tone. Cora didn’t go out into the field much, preferring to work from headquarters or bases on communications and occasionally, acting the part of the diplomat for the team. But the few times that she had been forced into combat had made sure that no one ever made fun of the fact that she was obsessed with daggers and knives. Even Natasha had flinched when Cora had walked into the Quinjet after a surgical strike on a HYDRA base, blood staining every inch of skin that was unprotected, and very little of it her own.

The heavy silence made Callista uncomfortable, almost as if she could feel Cora’s blade slice through skin. A second later, Cora chuckled, surprising her once more.

“Forget about that! Tell me how it fares with your man!”

Cali groaned, almost wishing the subject hadn’t been changed. “For the millionth time Cora, Bucky isn’t my man.”

“You wish he was, though.” Cora laughed out loud again, manically swerving the car into the long driveway to the headquarters, which also functioned as home to most of the team, including Cali and Cora.

Cali yelped as she grabbed the handlebar above the door. Glaring holes into the brown head beside her that seemed to be enjoying driving the huge car at a breakneck speed, she breathlessly mumbled, “He’s my job.”

Unsure whether it was the tires screeching against the asphalt as Cora braked, or just Cora screeching for the heck of it, she threw herself hard against the back of her seat, covering her ears to protect them from the horrible sound. A second later, burdened with a heavy silence, the door beside her opened and Cora shoved her out, smirking while saying, “So do him!”

“Cora Haley McKinnon! You need to vacate the gutter!”

Laughing as Cali smoothened out her clothes, Cora told her she was heading to Benny’s Café and would be back in time to get ready for the gala.

Cali watched as the Escalade sped down the driveway again, wondering how Cora hadn’t caused any accidents driving that damn beast, before she turned and headed to the conference room. Steeling herself by taking a deep breath, she walked into the crowded conference room, not surprised to find Natasha lounging in one of the chairs while Fury, Tony and Steve argued in one corner and Bucky looked into space from the other. What did surprise her was the tall, lanky figure standing near the window that looked out over the city.

Trying to keep the venom out of her voice but not completely succeeding, Cali addressed the shadow. “You must have a death wish, coming back after what you’ve put her through. Or do you not care at all?” Silence filled the room for a brief moment before everyone went back to their conversation, this time, a little louder than was necessary.

Loki shuffled his way to Cali, his eyes apologetic. She noticed that his eyes were dull, skin pale, almost wheatish and his cheekbones seemed more prominent. He wore a green hoodie that hung on him slightly, but would have been much larger on its original owner.

“Cali. Hi.” His voice was hoarse, almost as if it hadn’t been used in a while. His eyes kept flicking to the door behind her, as if he expected someone else to walk through them. The gesture would have warmed her heart if she hadn’t just heard her closest friend sound like a cold blooded assassin instead of the loving, goofy person Cora was known to be. Realising that she wasn’t going to break the silence between them, Loki ventured a question. “Will Cora be coming?”

“Nope.” Cali popped the ‘P’, something that she did only when she was angry.

Loki’s shoulders sagged a little. “Can you tell me where she is? I know she isn’t in the compound.”

“Nope.” There was the ‘P’ being popped again.

Letting a sigh heave out of him, Loki leaned against the wall. Cali could see the fight leave him. Wherever he had been, it hadn’t been pleasant for him. Thinking of the crap that Cora was going to put him through, she caved.

“She’s gone to Benny’s. And she has all her knives on her. One of them will be in you if you don’t bring her back in time to get dressed for the gala tonight.”

Hope danced in Loki’s eyes as he straightened his posture. Nodding his thanks to her, he disappeared, most probably transporting himself to Benny’s.

_“I hope he’s stupid enough to appear right next to her. She won’t kill him but she will put a couple of good stab wounds if he scares her like that.”_

Noticing that Callista had finished her conversation with Loki, Tony called the attention of the room to him. After a gruelling meeting that involved Tony drinking, Cali swearing, Bucky walking out and Natasha and Fury pretending they couldn’t see the huge window missing where Steve had thrown a punch, Cali headed up to her suite. She, Cora, Steve and Bucky had rooms on the same floor. She knew Steve had gone to the gym and that Cora hadn’t returned yet, she decided to check on Bucky. He hadn’t been in the best shape when he had silently gotten up and left the meeting.

She found him on his balcony, staring at nothing.

“What’s wrong Bucky?”

He shrugged, not letting any emotion slip into his features, but somehow Cali knew he was lying when he mumbled a soft _nothing_.

“You know that my job is to know when something is wrong with you, right?” She offered him a smile.

He turned to her then, anger flashing in his eyes before they were replaced by that stoniness. “Yeah. I’m just a job. Save it for the lab and experiments.” He walked away, slamming a door behind him.

Surprise flooded Cali’s mind only to be replaced with guilt. Before she could do anything about it, she heard Cora call for her from across the corridor.

Loki and Cora stood together, arms brushing but he made no move to wrap it around her shoulders the way he used to. _Cora had given him an earful at the very least._

“I’ll leave you two to get dressed for the gala,” Loki said. He dropped a kiss on the top of Cora’s head, disappearing before she could hit him.

Noting Cali’s silence as they rifled through dresses in Cora’s closest, Cora asked what was wrong. Narrating the incident with Bucky, Cali sat down on the floor, dropping her head into her hands. “I don’t know what to say to him.”

Pulling out a blue, knee length dress with a silver belt and holding it up for Cali, she said, “Start with asking yourself how much longer you can work on his case without letting your feelings come in the way.”

Cali didn’t respond and Cora knew that she had given her something to think about and didn’t push the matter. Cali chose a fitted green chiton for Cora, fixing it with a gold belt. Finishing their look with light make up, they headed to the limo waiting to take them to Stark Tower, where the gala was being held.

Loki was waiting for them at the entrance, wearing an all-black ensemble. Callista knew that Cora had to enter with him. She was taking over point on the Morgan 3000 Charity and walking in with Loki wouldn’t just be a statement of the fact that they were dating, but also that the Asgardians of New Asgard supported the charity and everything it stood for. She looked regal, and between her and Loki, they exuded power. She could almost see tomorrow’s headlines. _God and Assassin: Power Couple from Avengers?_

Cali walked into the large hall and almost instinctively, she searched for Bucky. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. He was in a black suit with a grey shirt and blue tie. She had only ever see him in a tank vest or tee shirt. She shook her head gently, remembering that she had probably annoyed him enough. Making a note to apologise to him before she left, she picked a flute of champagne, watching Tony and Cora take the stage.

Cali slipped away when the press conference began. She went to the small lounge where she and Cora watched most of the press conferences. Since Cora would be a part of the conference this time, Cali was prepared to watch it alone, which is why she was surprised to find someone already there.

“Oh, I’m sorry I—,” her voice trailed as she recognised Bucky. He just nodded at her. Not moving from her place, Cali took a deep breath. “I have more to apologise for. What I said in the afternoon, I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was—,” her words trailed again. Bucky waited in silence, unsure what to expect.

“You know what, screw this!” Cali threw her arms up in despair. “I don’t know how to explain this! How do I explain to you that I’m so frickin’ scared that anything I say could hurt you? _How do I explain that I’m scared of hurting you?! Because I care so damned much about you!”_ Cali clamped her hands over her mouth. She waited for a second but received nothing but a blank stare from the man she had almost bared her soul to. Feeling the tears push against her eyes, she weakly excused herself and rushed out, hoping that the press conference was over and that she could get a minute with Cora or Tony.

After a few quick encounters, Steve told her that Cora had been seen heading to the terrace. Nodding her thanks, Cali rushed to the elevator and felt a rush of relief as the doors opened and she saw the familiar silhouette of her friend against the dark skyline.

“Cora! I messed it up! I spoke to him and was a complete _blithering_ idiot!” The silhouette didn’t move. “Cora?” Moving closer, Cali found Cora’s gaze locked onto the horizon, her jaws clenched and her hands in fists. Her flowy dressed billowed over the edge of the terrace. “Cora!”

Cali began panicking when she received no response from the figure that stood dangerously close to the edge. It was as if she couldn’t hear her, as if she wasn’t there at all. Cali saw the elevator doors open and when Bucky stepped out, her knees almost caved with relief from the knowledge that someone was there to help.

“Callista? Cora? Wait, Callista are you crying?” Cali hadn’t even realised that tears had been streaming down her face. She collapsed into Bucky’s side, sobbing as she explained that she couldn’t understand. Setting her down gently, Bucky ordered F.R.I.D.A.Y. to call Tony and Loki up to the roof. He positioned himself at an angle to Cora, keeping an eye on Cali as well. From the corner of her vision, Cali saw a flash of green and Bucky moved back as Loki rushed to _his mortal’s_ side. He touched her cheek and suddenly the world around them seemed to slow. Cora’s taut body turned limp, a scream tore its way through Cali’s throat as Cora seemed to fall forward. Just as soon as everything slowed, time sped up again and Bucky’s arms were restraining Cali while Loki and Cora were tumbling backwards onto the hard marble of the terrace. It was only when Bucky put Cali down did she realise that Tony and Steve were also present. Her attention was turned back to Loki as a snarl ripped through the breeze.

“What did you do to her?” Red started bleeding into his eyes and frost climbed the glass around the building.

“Loki!” Steve called, his voice steady through the wind that was whipping around them now. “Cora needs your attention. We’ll figure out what happened once we know Cora is okay!”

The ice around them melted and the wind slowed to a breeze. Loki shrugged his blazer off and gently lifted Cora so he could wrap it around her. Tony stepped forward to help but the sheer danger in Loki’s eyes stopped him. Loki put his palm on Cora’s forehead, pulling back almost instantly.

“She’s in some sort of a loop. It’s like a tornado of panic and fear and she’s in the eye. I—I’ve never dealt with this before.” His body sagged over hers as he cradled her head on his lap.

“We’re going to have to shock her out of it.” Even though Tony whispered the words, everyone heard them. The wind picked up speed again and Loki drew Cora impossibly closer to him. “Hey! Loki! Tone it down! You will end up hurting not just us but _her_ as well!”

The wind died, leaving not even a breeze. Loki laid Cora down gently, before looking Tony dead in the eye. “I’ll do it myself.” And before anyone could even form a coherent thought, blue light zipped through Loki into Cora and her body arched before falling to the ground and spasming.

“Stop it! You’re hurting her!” Cali broke free from Bucky’s grip and hurtled towards Cora, only to be thrown back by an invisible force. Wrapping his arms around her, Bucky carried a struggling Callista to the elevator. Her kicking seemed to have no effect on him as he reached the lounge and sank into the couch, not letting Cali go. He didn’t say a word and she struggled till the fight left her and all she could do was sob against his chest till exhaustion came over her and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Cora woke to a dull headache, not like the sharp migraines she was used to. Opening her eyes, she met a pair of blue ones.

“Cora, you’re okay.” Loki breathed over her, his hands gently cupping her face and moving to her neck as if he was trying to make sure she was in one piece _literally_. When she didn’t flinch, he heaved a sigh of relief before falling on his back beside her. Turning to look at him, she realised that they were in her room.

“What happened?” Her voice was hoarse. He shook his head, helping her sit up before holding a glass of water to her lips. Giving him a weird look, she drank. He put the glass back on her night table before sliding down against the pillows.

“Loki?” He hummed in response, wrapping his arms around her waist before gently tugging her down. Rolling her eyes and ignoring the sharp pain it sent up her head, she wriggled so she was next to him. His tired eyes met hers and a small smile played on his lips. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Loki shook his head. “After you rest. You’re going to need it when Callista kills you and then kills me.”

“What?” Fear laced the confusion in that one word. _Did she get black out drunk again?_

“Sleep.” Loki wrapped his arm over her side, turning so she was half on him and half on the bed. He waited for her to close her eyes and was relieved to find that she fell asleep almost instantly.

Meanwhile, in Stark Tower, Cali woke to fingers brushing through her hair. The memories of what had transpired flooded her mind and she jerked up, only to find hands holding her down.

“She’s okay.” Bucky’s voice was a calm whisper in her ear, his breath tickling the skin on her neck. She felt herself relaxing only slightly. “Loki shocked her out of it. He transported her back to her suite and hasn’t left her side even once. We’ll go back in a while.”

This time Callista almost completely relaxed before another memory bubbled to the front of her mind. She tried to struggle out of Bucky’s arms. He held her tight for a second before sighing and letting her go. Stumbling away from him, she stood near the table, fingers playing with her dress and gaze fixed on the floor. “Bucky, I- I’m sorry about–.”

“Shush.” Bucky cut her off, standing so he was close to her. He lifted her face to meet his eyes. “Don’t apologise. Thank you for caring, for looking out for me.” This time his gaze faltered before he looked at her with a fierce confidence burning in his eyes. _“I care about you too. A lot.”_

Cali let the words wash over her before she threw her arms around him, pulling his large frame tight against her small one. He let out a breathless chuckle, gently wrapping his arms around hers, burying his face in her hair. Cali mumbled against his shirt. “Once I finish killing Cora for that fright, she’s never going to stop with the ‘ _I told you so_ ’s.” And in that singular moment, the world seemed brighter for Bucky.


End file.
